Every wedding videographer has the story. The groom's face when the bride appeared at the end of the aisle — and you were swapping lenses. The father-daughter dance that happened 20 minutes earlier than the DJ told you. The ring exchange you caught from behind the officiant because you set up on the wrong side.
These moments don't happen twice. You either have them or you don't. And the difference between a wedding video that makes people cry and one that makes them wish they'd hired someone else usually comes down to about a dozen shots.
This isn't a list of 150 shots. It's the ones that actually end up in the final edit — the moments your clients will rewatch for the next 30 years.
The non-negotiable shots
These are the shots every client expects to see in their video. If any of these are missing, you'll hear about it. Prioritize them above everything else.
Getting ready
- The bride and groom getting ready — separately. Buttoning the shirt, zipping the dress, tying shoes, adjusting the veil. These are the quiet moments before the day takes over.
- The reaction when they see themselves fully dressed for the first time. Don't ask them to pose — keep rolling while they look in the mirror.
- A parent helping. Mom zipping the dress. Dad adjusting the boutonnière. These are the shots that make the final cut every single time.
The ceremony
- The processional. Specifically: the moment the doors open and the bride appears. The groom's reaction is the money shot. If you only have one camera, it goes on the groom's face, not the bride walking. You can see the bride in every other shot. The groom's first reaction only happens once.
- Vows and ring exchange. Audio matters as much as video here. If you're not running a wireless lav on the officiant or the couple, you're relying on your camera mic from 30 feet away. That's not a plan — that's a gamble.
- The first kiss and recessional. Wide enough to see the guests' reaction. The cheering, the standing, the flower petals — that's the energy of the day. A tight shot of just the couple misses it.
The reception
- First dance. Get a wide shot of the full dance floor plus a tighter shot of the couple. If you're solo, start wide and push in slowly.
- Parent dances. Father-daughter and mother-son. Watch the parents' faces — that's where the emotion is.
- Toasts. Frame the speaker but cut to the couple's reactions. The best man's joke is fine. The bride ugly-laughing at it is the clip that goes viral.
- Cake cutting, bouquet toss, exit. Standard moments that clients expect to see, even if they don't end up as the emotional core of the video.
The shots nobody asks for but everyone wants
These won't be on your client's shot list. They probably won't even think about them until they see the final edit and either love you or wonder why you didn't get them.
- The venue before anyone arrives. Empty ceremony space, table settings, flower arrangements, the place cards. Thirty seconds of b-roll that makes the whole video feel cinematic. Get there early enough to shoot it.
- Detail shots. The rings on the invitation suite. The shoes next to the bouquet. The handwritten vows on notebook paper. These take two minutes to shoot and they're the first thing in every highlight reel.
- Guest reactions during the ceremony. The mom wiping tears. The grandpa nodding. The friend who can't stop smiling. A second shooter covering the guests while you cover the couple doubles the emotional impact.
- Candid reception moments. Kids dancing. The grandparents slow-dancing. Friends hugging. The dance floor at peak energy. These aren't staged and they're not on any timeline — you just have to be watching.
- The couple alone for 90 seconds. Between the ceremony and reception, or during golden hour, ask for 90 seconds with just the two of them. No posing, no direction — just walk together, talk, exist. This footage becomes the emotional backbone of the highlight reel.
Build a timeline, not just a list
A shot list tells you what to capture. A timeline tells you when and where you need to be. For weddings, the timeline is what keeps you from missing things.
Work backwards from the ceremony. If the ceremony is at 4:00 PM:
- 1:00 PM — Arrive at the getting-ready location. Shoot venue details while it's empty, then cover getting ready.
- 2:30 PM — First look (if they're doing one). Allow 30-40 minutes including travel.
- 3:15 PM — Set up ceremony coverage. Audio check on lavs. Lock your second camera position.
- 4:00 PM — Ceremony.
- 4:45 PM — Family formals (coordinate with photographer — this always runs long).
- 5:15 PM — Cocktail hour. Couple portraits during golden hour. Guest candids.
- 6:00 PM — Reception begins. First dance, toasts, dinner.
The biggest timeline killer at weddings is family formals. The photographer needs 30 minutes. The family needs 45. The coordinator scheduled 15. Build in at least 40 minutes for family photos and you won't be scrambling to set up for the reception.
Every transition between locations needs a time buffer. Getting ready at a hotel and ceremony at a church 20 minutes away? That's 30-40 minutes including loading gear, the drive, and parking. If the bride is in the car, add 15 more — nobody rushes in a wedding dress.
Multi-shooter coordination
If you're running two or more cameras, the ceremony is where coordination matters most. Here's a setup that covers your bases:
- Camera A (you) — front of the venue, angled to see the couple and the processional. This is your primary camera for vows, ring exchange, and kiss.
- Camera B (second shooter) — back or side of the venue, covering guest reactions and the opposite angle. During the processional, Camera B is on the groom's face while Camera A captures the bride's entrance.
- Locked camera (optional) — a wide static shot on a tripod covering the full ceremony space. This is your safety net — even if both shooters miss a moment, the wide shot has it.
During the reception, the second shooter covers the dance floor and crowd reactions while you stay on the couple and the speakers. Don't both point at the same thing — that's a waste of a second camera.
Agree on shot assignments before the day starts. Walk the venue. Know where each camera goes for each phase. A 15-minute walkthrough the morning of saves hours of “I thought you had that” in the edit bay.
A scheduling tool makes wedding days less chaotic
Most wedding videographers manage their shot list in Apple Notes or a Google Doc. That works for the list itself, but it doesn't help you build the timeline, assign shots to shooters, or adjust when the coordinator tells you the first look moved up 30 minutes.
A production scheduling tool — even one designed for film — works surprisingly well for weddings. Create shooting “days” (getting ready, ceremony, reception), drag your shots into each block, and reorganize on your phone when the timeline shifts. It beats scrolling through a Notes doc trying to figure out what's next.
The shot list is a safety net, not a script
You're not going to look at your shot list during the first dance. You're not going to check it off during the processional. In the moment, you're reacting to what's happening — and that's how it should be.
The list exists for the transitions. The 10 minutes between the ceremony and cocktail hour when you're thinking “what did I miss?” The quiet moment during dinner when you can check: venue details, done. Getting ready, done. Family formals, done. Detail shots — did anyone get the rings on the invitation?
Get the non-negotiables. Capture the candid moments that nobody asked for. Build a timeline that puts you in the right place five minutes early. That's the whole job.